Three food trends that have had their day

Oct 08, 2014 by Smart Blog

It had to happen - some of the most adored food trends of recent years are beginning to look a bit dated. Gordon's shouting doesn't move people the way it used to, and the sprinkles on the cupcakes are starting to fade. In short, it is time for some new food fashions. Here are three of the current crop that need to make way.

Cupcakes

Cutesy and chock full of sugar, these began as the ultimate feminine foodstuff (although most chaps will happily eat at least one) but ultimately have proved that yes, it is possible to have far too much of a good thing.

Apparently, the cupcake trend was inspired by early episodes of TV show Sex and the City. Yet, now, just like that show, cupcakes are showing their age. Today's cupcakes are not only reaching ever greater heights of silliness (most are 20% cake, 80% ridiculously sweet, inedible and highly kitsch icing) they are absolutely everywhere. Cupcakes are depicted on clothes, books, stationery, birthday cards, and wrapping paper... there seems to be no end to the cupcake madness.

Enough is enough. Cupcakes have to go.

Overblown 'farmers' markets

There is nothing wrong with a good farmers' market. The ones with real farmers, and real, local farm produce, for example, are ace. Nothing wrong with those. The ones that give them all a bad name are the farmers' markets where half of the produce comes from 'local' farms that turn out to be 120 miles away, and everything is wrapped in cellophane.

Also in this group are the farmers' markets that sell stuff that has nothing to do with farms in any way. Toys for example, furniture and children's clothing. That is daft - a market that sells furniture and clothes is just... a market. Farmers' markets are a decent concept, but there seems to be a need for some serious quality control - or just common sense, really.

Swearing TV chefs

There was a time when many British people thought that 'home cooking' meant setting the timer on the microwave, and had to be brow-beaten into better cooking by a load of swearing men called chefs, whom the public of that time genuinely thought were artists. How could it be mere cookery, if Gordon was getting so het up about it?

Furthermore, the public believed, to be a great cook took sacrifice; working for 23 hours a day in an overcrowded kitchen, at temperatures that would make most people's hair melt. How could the public, with their family lives and jobs and normality, ever compete with that sort of commitment? How could the public compete with the passion of Gordon and his mates? Not without buying one of their books, that much was clear.

Now, of course, we know that cooking is not quite as difficult as writing a symphony and that working for 100 hours a week for tuppence and a pinch of tea is called exploitation. The days of the macho chef must surely be numbered.

There are, of course, many other trends that should be ditched, but these would be a good start. Now all that remains is to find some new food trends to replace them...

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